Yesterday we were discussing Sri Uddhava, who is the most prominent
member in the Yadu dynasty and who was sent by Sri Krsna to go to
Nandagaon, Vrndavana. He had been thinking that Krsna was in Mathura,
and that He had left Vrndavana to be there. However, when Uddhava
first reached Vrndavana from Mathura and got his first glimpse of
Vraja, he understood: "Krsna is fully here, and only partly in
Mathura."

Uddhava told Nanda Baba, "You are very fortunate. Those who weep
for their parents will simply weep, but if anyone weeps for Krsna,
the Supreme Lord, such persons are truly fortunate. Lord Sri Krsna
is not only your son; He is the Supreme Lord of Lords; He kindly came
to live in your house."

Nanda Baba became even more upset when he heard this. He said, "I
personally thought that because you associate with Krsna, you would
be knowledgeable. But I see that actually you still have your milk
teeth; you really do not know anything."

Uddhava began to think, "What a mistake I have made!"

Nanda Baba continued, "In this world, I am the greatest sufferer.
You tell me that I am fortunate, but I am most unfortunate. Up until
now I considered that Krsna is my son, but now I hear from you that
He is the Supreme Lord  and I have lost Him! I could not maintain
Him or give Him love and affection! How wretched am I?!

"Actually there was only one father, and that was Dasaratha Maharaja.
When Rama went to the forest Dasaratha Maharaja called out, 'Rama,
Rama Ra ' and then he left his body. Why am I not giving up my
body? My body must be made of a thunderbolt. What should I do?"
Nanda Baba continued weeping throughout the night.

Uddhava realized, "I cannot pacify him. I cannot even pacify
Nanda Baba, what to speak of Mother Yasoda? Her love and affection
for Krsna is superior to that of even Nanda Baba."

The entire night went on in this way - full with weeping.

In the morning, Uddhava went to a kunda that is now called Krsna-kunda.
He took bath there, chanted his gayatri-mantras, and then he saw a
big forest of kadamba trees, which later became known as Uddhava-kyari.
In the midst of that forest he saw some gopis talking.

One gopi said, "Why has this chariot come? It is the same chariot
that carried Akrura  not Akrura but Krura (meaning cruel) 
who took our most beloved Sri Krsna. Now Krsna is so far away. Why
did that chariot come here again?"

Another gopi said, "In the Vedic culture, fourteen days after
someone dies, a special oblations called pinda are given to the dead
person. This chariot has been sent from Mathura, so that the driver
will bring back our heart pinda (oblations) from here  because
all are dead here. So many hearts will be easily received and they
will be given to Kamsa. But why the golden chariot?"

Another gopi said, "Do you know that Krsna is now a prince in
Madhupuri, Mathura? His servant has come by a golden chariot. He has
sent this messenger to pacify His mother, His father and the Vrajavasis.
He wants to show us that: 'I am sending my servant to pacify you all.'"

Uddhava heard this and thought, "I have made a mistake. Why have
I come in a golden chariot?"
Another gopi said, "Why is this Syama (blackish person) coming
towards us? We have no relation with Krsna. We do have a relationship,
but it is not a prominent one. A blood relation cannot be given up.
Krsna cannot forget His mother and father, because He was born from
them.

"So why is this person on the chariot coming here? Perhaps he
has lost his way. He should go to Nanda Baba's house, not here. We
were thinking that Krsna is our most beloved, and now that relationship
is finished. But Krsna cannot deny His relation with His mother and
father. Why isn't he going to Nanda Baba and Mother Yasoda? Why is
he coming here?"

"Another gopi said, "He is syama (blackish in complexion),
but not Syama (our beloved Syamasundara). He looks like Krsna in the
sense that Krsna has a blackish complexion. Besides that, Krsna has
given His garland and other paraphernalia to this person."

The gopis were accustomed to embrace tamal trees and darkness 
because they also reminded the gopis of Sri Krsna. However, seeing
Uddhava they did not embrace him. This is because prema has some etiquette
(maryada).

One gopi said, "He is a messenger of Syama. He is like Syama,
but he is not Syama."

[At this time Srila Narayana Maharaja called on Sripad Damodara Maharaja
to relate the history of Sri Uddhava witnessing Srimati Radhika's
maddened talks with a bumble bee, whom She took to be Sri Krsna's
messenger. Srila Narayana Maharaja then continued:]

While Srimati Radhika was rebuking the bumblebee, he flew away for
a moment and then returned. Radhika then said, "Oh, you are Krsna's
messenger. You showed Me affection, and yet I spoke to you with rough
words. I did wrong, and still you came back"

Radhika continued, "Very good, you have returned. Krsna has sent
you back. This shows that He does have some affection for us. What
do you want? What does your master want?

The bee began humming, and Radhika then said, "Do you want us
to go to Mathura? The young ladies of Mathura will be there; and still
He wants us to go there? This is quite impossible. He cannot give
up the raja-kumaris (princesses) of Mathura, or even Laksmi in the
form of a golden line on His chest. We cannot adjust to the idea that
any other lady will be there and we will also be there.

"Oh Madhukar (honey-collecting bee), Krsna has now returned to
Mathura from His Gurukula. When will He come here? Does He remember
His mother, father, and friends such as Sridama, Subala and Madhumangala?
Does He remember the other Vrajavasis? Does He remember Giriraja Govardhana,
the banks of the Yamuna, and other places? Does He remember the gopis
in any way? For example, will He say to the princesses of Mathura,
'The gopis cannot make a garland as well as you can'?

"Or does He say, 'The gopis are so qualified. They used to make
such beautiful garlands, and they served in so many other ways. Does
He remember the gopis in any way?"

["O Uddhava! It is indeed regrettable that Krsna resides in Mathura.
Does He remember His fathers household affairs and His friends,
the cowherd boys? O great soul! Does He ever talk about us, His maidservants?
When will He place on our heads His aguru-scented hand? (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.21)]

Radhika continued, "Oh Krsna, when will You come and put Your
hands on our heads, insuring that there will never again be separation
between us." Saying this, Srimati Radhika again fainted.

[Sri Uddhava said: "Certainly you gopis are all-successful and
are universally worshipped because you have dedicated your minds in
this way to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva." (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.23)]

Uddhava told the gopis, "You are worshipped by the entire world
and the entire universe. You have such wonderful love and affection
for Vasudeva, Lord Sri Krsna."

["You have rightfully claimed the privilege of unalloyed love
for the transcendental Lord, O most glorious gopis. Indeed, by exhibiting
your love for Krsna in separation from Him, you have shown me great
mercy." (Srimad-bhagavatam 10.47.37)]

"You have attracted Sri Krsna in all respects. He cannot go elsewhere
for even a second. He is always with you, whether you know it or not.
I saw your separation mood, which has no comparison in the entire
world. Your love for Krsna has no comparison in any history or scripture
or anywhere else. I have brought you a message from Him."

Hearing Uddhava speak in this way, the gopis separation mood increased
to still new heights. Srimati Radhika then sang this verse:

["O master, O master of the goddess of fortune, O master of Vraja
! O destroyer of all suffering, Govinda, please lift Your Gokula out
of the ocean of distress in which it is drowning!" (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.52)]

"All of Vraja is burning in their mood of separation fromYou.
Please come, Oh lord of our life, Oh beloved, only You can pacify
us; otherwise we will never be pacified."

Srimati Radhika again fainted, and Uddhava began to pray to Radhika
and all the other gopis:

["Among all persons on earth, these cowherd women alone have
actually perfected their embodied lives, for they have achieved the
perfection of unalloyed love for Lord Govinda. Their pure love is
hankered after by those who fear material existence, by great sages,
and by our selves as well. For one who has tasted the narrations of
the infinite Lord, what is the use of taking birth as a high-class
brahmana, or even as Lord Brahma himself?" (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.58)]

Sri Uddhava prayed, "In this world, only the birth of the gopis
is fully successful. And, it is only because of the gopis' presence
that Vrndavana is glorious. Lord Sri Krsna is the Supreme Soul of
the universe and of all living entities. The gopis' love is on the
level of sneha, maan, pranaya, raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava, ruddha,
adiruddha and madanakya-bhava, divyonmada. All the munis, and we also,
desire this love. There would be no use of having even a birth as
Lord Brahma, in which there is no love like that of the gopis. When
the gopis are together, they glorify Lord Sri Krsna in love and affection
 both in the mood of separation and meeting."

["How amazing it is that these simple women who wander about
the forest, seemingly spoiled by improper behavior, have achieved
the perfection of unalloyed love for Krsna, the Supreme Soul! Still,
it is true that the Supreme Lord Himself awards His blessings even
to an ignorant worshiper, just as the best medicine works even when
taken by a person ignorant of its ingredients." (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.59)]

Worldly ladies are not truly chaste. The gopis are the only chaste
ladies. Sri Krsna is their most beloved, for they only know and love
Him. They don't know anyone but Him.

["When Lord Sri Krsna was dancing with the gopis in the rasa-lila,
the gopis were embraced by the arms of the Lord. This transcendental
favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or other consorts
in the spiritual world. Indeed, never was such a thing even imagined
by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, whose bodily
luster and aroma resemble the lotus flower. And what to speak of worldly
women who are very beautiful according to material estimation?"
(Srimad-bhagavatam 10.47.60)]

Even Laksmi, Satyabhama, Rukmini and others did not receive the maha-prasadam
 great favor  from Sri Krsna as the gopis did; what to
speak of the wives of incarnations like Lord Vamanadeva and others?
The word 'rasotsave' in this verse means that during rasa-lila, Sri
Krsna put His arms around the necks of the gopis saying, "Don't
give Me up, otherwise I will not survive."

["The gopis of Vrndavana have given up the association of their
husbands, sons and other family members, who are very difficult to
give up, and they have forsaken the path of chastity to take shelter
of the lotus feet of Mukunda, Krsna, which one should search for by
Vedic knowledge. Oh, let me be fortunate enough to be one of the bushes,
creepers or herbs in Vrndavana, because the gopis trample them and
bless them with the dust of their lotus feet." (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.61)]

Uddhava prayed, "Oh, I will be so fortunate if I become a blade
of grass in Vrndavana. In that way I will have the foot-dust of the
gopis when they go on their love journey to meet Lord Sri Krsna. At
that time they will place their feet on that grass and I will be so
fortunate." Later, Uddhava did become grass, at Uddhava-kunda
in Vrndavana.
There are so many blades of grass there, and they are all Uddhava
(this pastime takes place in each day of Brahma). He is still praying
for the love and affection of the gopis.

["The goddess of fortune herself, along with Lord Brahma and
all the other demigods, who are masters of yogic perfection, can worship
the lotus feet of Krsna only within her mind. But during the rasa
dance Lord Krsna placed His feet upon these gopis breasts, and
by embracing those feet the gopis gave up all distress." (Srimad-bhagavatam
10.47.62)]

Uddhava prayed, "How fortunate are the gopis! Lord Brahma and
others worship Sri Laksmi, but She could not enter the rasa dance
even after performing severe austerities for hundreds of births. On
the other hand, the gopis took the lotus feet of Krsna on their breasts
in the rasa dance and pacified Him.

["I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even
within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach.
You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult
to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation."
(Srimad-bhagavatam 10.32.22)]

Sri Krsna said, "I will not be able to repay you, even after
millions of lives of attempt."

["I repeatedly offer my respects to the dust from the feet of
the women of Nanda Maharajas cowherd village. When these gopis
loudly chant the glories of Sri Krsna, the vibration purifies the
three worlds." (Srimad-bhagavatam 10.47.63)]

Uddhava begged for only one particle of dust from the lotus feet of
Srimati Radhika. Whatever hari-katha emanates from the lips of Srimati
Radhika and the gopis purifies the entire world. Hearing from these
gopis the sweet pastimes of Krsna and their own separation mood purifies
the universe.

In brief we have glorified the gopis' prema. Srimati Radhika is antaranga
svarupa-sakti, (Sri Krsna's complete, internal power) and all the
gopis are Her manifestations. They are not worldly; their love and
affection is transcendental. If anyone hears their hari-katha with
great faith, that hari-katha will bring Radha and Krsna in that devotee's
heart. In the Gambhira, along with Raya Ramananda and Svarupa Damodara,
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to hear all these sweet pastimes of Krsna.
At that time His transcendental body was full with ecstatic symptoms.
Sometimes the limbs of His body entered into His body and He became
like a tortoise, and sometimes other symptoms manifested.

If you will remember all these sweet pastimes, your life will be successful.

About Purebhakti

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